Thursday, February 8, 2018

Volunteer advocates to help incapacitated individuals with money management

Elderly or incapacitated adults no longer able to look after their own finances will soon have advocates to look after them.

An agreement to initially create 35 volunteer advocates to oversee
the financial interests of incapacitated individuals was signed Monday
by the Bartholomew County commissioners.

According to the agreement, which expires Dec. 31, the Indiana Office
of Court Services agrees to pay up to $50,000 to Thrive Alliance, a
combination of the Aging and Community Services of South Central
Indiana, Inc. and Housing Partnerships, Inc.

In exchange, the Columbus-based agency will be responsible for
vetting, screening, training and supervising volunteer financial
guardians, as well as for maintaining court-required progress and
accounting reports.

Persons incapable of caring for themselves financially includes those
with a neuro-developmental disorder, mental illness, dementia or
stroke, the agreement states.

The program is structurally comparable to Court-Appointed Special
Advocates (CASA), trained individuals who speak up for the best
interests of children within the judicial system, Bartholomew Superior
Court 1 Judge Jim Worton said.

All tasks performed by Thrive Alliance will be overseen by
Bartholomew County Adult Court Services. If a problem arises from a
decision or action taken by a volunteer advocate, the court can remove
their financial guardianship, Worton said.

With a staff of five, Adult Court Services also provides services to Bartholomew, Brown, Jennings, Decatur and Jackson counties.

When Worton first spoke on this proposal to the commissioners in
December, he was joined by Lori Bland, Thrive Alliance Guardian Program
manager.

Now that baby boomers are increasingly retiring, the number of
incapacitated adults is expected to grow larger than it ever has been in
the past, Bland told the commissioners.

There are already as many as 400 incapacitated adults within the
region that have no one else able or willing to assist them with their
finances, Bland said.

Until now, only one couple — Bartholomew County Adult Protective
Services employees John and Brenda Defler — have been available to
advocate for those hundreds of incapacitated adults, the judge said.

“There’s no doubt in my mind we’ve needed this program for years,” John Defler said during a follow-up interview.

Besides retiring baby boomers, there has also been a noticeable
increase in the number of adults with Alzheimer’s Disease and other
forms of dementia, he said.

Since it’s been more than 40 years since Indiana moved away from
institutionalization, there are also many incapacitated adults cared for
by the parents their entire lives who now suddenly find themselves
alone, Defler said.

His department works with other organizations, such as Centerstone
Behavioral Health, to place those persons into extended-care facilities,
supportive living quarters or group homes, Defler said.

Based on his own experiences, Defler anticipates most volunteers recruited by Thrive Alliance will be recent retirees.

Not only does that group have more time and expertise, but they also have empathy for people in need, he said.

“They know they could be that person tomorrow,” Defler said. “Whether
it’s a stroke or an accident, we are all vulnerable and there are no
guarantees.”

The agreement can be terminated by mutual consent, or if funding is no longer available.

The commissioners are serving as a pass-through entity for the
exchange of funds, as no local tax dollars will be spent for these
services, commissioner Rick Flohr said.

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